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Scorch Felix Going Back to My Roots
Moving between trance, techno and hardgroove, what he listens for in a new producer, and rebuilding a local scene in London.
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Scorch Felix has moved through trance, tech trance, techno and hardgroove, and describes them less as separate genres than as different expressions of the same drive. What has stayed constant is an appetite for new music; what has sharpened, in his own account, is the ability to hear which producers are doing something beyond the generic.
The conversation also covers how records get found now that promos arrive endlessly, why he reads the current hardgroove revival as genuine reinvention rather than repackaging, and his return to running an after-hours event in London.
- Based in
- London
- Radio
- Scorch Felix Live
01
What never changed, and what sharpened.
You have worked through several different eras of electronic music. Which parts of your artistic identity have remained unchanged, and which have evolved the most?
I guess my passion for new music and new developing genres from my early years dropping multi genres in my live sets, when running my own events and helping new artists and dj’s with residencies and supporting their releases, which I still do to this day my hunger for new creative music in what ever genre I’m currently involved in. I guess what I have developed over the years is a sharp ear for creative producers you can heat that something special in their productions not just a generic approach which is quite difficult in this current musical landscape .
a sharp ear for creative producers
02
One energy under several names.
Your sound has moved through trance, tech trance, techno and hardgroove. Do you see these as separate genres or different expressions of the same energy?
That’s a good question. I’d say a bit of both, as the drive and energy are similar, especially the tracks I play. They all have a common theme. Even if they have melodies, etc., there’d be a solid, unique (ish) kick drum, but with a solid driving groove. As you stated, they are different genres, but the tracks I choose do have a solid driving low end. Even if it was trance, I’d play the more creative end of the genre.
the drive and energy are similar
03
How a record still gets found.
After hundreds of episodes of Scorch Felix Live, how has radio changed the way you discover, evaluate and select new music?
Another great question with so many releases every day and endless promos which I’m very lucky to receive, I tend to go on personal recommendations. I also follow a lot of labels and artists on Beatport. I sort of know what I’m looking for, but I also like using the Beatport recommendations, so I find a track I really like, then click on the track, and Beatport will bring up similar-sounding tracks, which is similar to back in the day when I’d go record shopping in Tag Records (Soho). The guys behind the counter would get to know your sound and would put aside white labels and new releases in your sound. So now we have it sort of automated, but I do miss the physical record shopping.
I do miss the physical record shopping
04
A new take, not a reissue.
Hardgroove and faster techno are currently experiencing a major revival. Do you see genuine evolution, or mostly older ideas being repackaged for a new generation?
No, I definitely am seeing a new take on these genres being headed up by new talent like DK Tech, Beck, Sandro Mure, Maraxe, and many more, who are pushing the boundaries of these genres, reinventing them with modern twists, not just relying on the old sounds and production techniques.
reinventing them with modern twists
05
Getting up and carrying on.
After more than two decades in electronic music, what does longevity actually require, and what direction do you want the next chapter of Scorch Felix to take?
You definitely need to have real passion for your music or scene you’re in. The industry has exploded over the last ten years, which is great, but when the gigs go up and down and you hit all sorts of challenges, you still need to get up and dust yourself off and carry on. It’s definitely not Instagram glamorous; it takes hard work and dedication. I’m currently looking at moving my label forward and starting up my original after-hours event, “Tranzition,” which I originally started back in 1994. Going back to my roots and building a local scene here in London.
It’s definitely not Instagram glamorous
06
Recognising an artist of the future.
You once mentioned DKTech while speaking about persistence, timing and chemistry. What did you recognise in him, and why do you believe his time will come?
In the time I’ve known DK Tech, he is a genuine, hard-working artist of the future who has tonnes of enthusiasm for the scene and his music, releasing on some of the top techno labels and working with some of the scene’s top producers. I know he is always looking for ways to promote other artists and labels via systems he builds. It’s really refreshing to see so much passion in such a young artist. He’s carving a solid path for himself by being such an active and supportive artist in the scene.
It’s really refreshing to see so much passion in such a young artist
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The next chapter is a local one.
Scorch Felix ends on where the work is going rather than where it has been: moving the label forward, restarting the after-hours event he first ran, and building a local scene in London. He is explicit about what that costs. The gigs go up and down, the challenges arrive, and the only thing that carries any of it is the passion that started it.
Going back to my roots and building a local scene here in London.
Images used with permission of Scorch Felix.